A Bit Too Eager
by PurpleNurples
Summary: A younger cousin joins the Winchesters
1. Chapter 1

Dean and Sam were in their motel room doing some research for one of their hunts.

"But Dean, I thought we got rid of it back in Wisconsin," Sam said as he looked through his laptop trying to find more evidence about the creature they were hunting. "I mean you saw it yourself. It disintegrated right in front of us."

"I know that, Sam," Dean answered Sam without looking up as he leafed through his dad's journal. "But so far, all the evidences are pointing right to it—the rotted handprint, the kids with pneumonia. What else could it be?"

Suddenly, Sam thought of something. "Hey, Dean, wait." He said as he sat up in his bed. "No. I think we were right. We did kill the Shtriga back in Wisconsin. That much we know for sure right? I mean you did say that you can kill it with consecrated iron rounds when they're feeding and that's what we did."

"Yeah."

"And these things, they take on human disguises right?"

"Yeah, Sam. We discussed all of this the first time we dealt with the shtriga. What's your point?" Dean said in frustration.

"Okay. Well, then if they can take on human disguises, then maybe…maybe they can also…" Sam seemed reluctant to continue.

"Maybe they can also what, Sam?"

"Ok, don't get too grossed out by this but what if they can…you know…"

Sam didn't even finish. He just gave Dean a look as he explained it to him, hoping that Dean would know what he was implying.

Dean didn't know where Sam was heading at first, but then he figured it out.

"No way, man."

"It's plausible, Dean."

"Are you kidding me? Don't tell me these things can actually have families of their own."

"It's not completely out there."

"That's just great." Dean couldn't believe it.

"Well…at least we already know how to kill it. We just gotta figure out where it's headed next."

"Perfect."

Dean and Sam went to the hospital dressed up in suits, once again claiming to be from the CDC. They got some information from the doctors and nurses. Afterwards, they returned to their motel room filled with frustration.

"Dangit!" Dean yelled in frustration, throwing his blazer across the room as he walked inside the room.

Sam shut the door with the same look of frustration on his face.

"That's the seventh kid, man, and they're all just getting worse. Where the heck is this freaking witch and who the heck is she? It's been days, man. You getting any connections between the kids yet?" Dean continued.

"No," Sam said rubbing his neck. "Nothing, besides the fact that they're all kids. Plus this is different than last time. Back in Wisconsin it worked its way through siblings. Now, it's just randomly picking these kids. There's no visible pattern."

Dean looked through same papers and maps that they've been using to find out the shtriga's next move while Sam sat on the bed and grabbed his laptop hoping to find some new theory from his previous research. A second later, Sam started going through his duffel bag, seeming desperate to find something.

"What are you looking for?" Dean asked, looking up from his research.

Sam didn't answer. Instead, he barged out of the room. Dean was a bit startled and confused by Sam's actions. He was about to follow Sam outside and find out what his brother was up to when Sam came back inside with something in his hand.

"Found it," Sam said, showing Dean the piece of paper.

"What?"

"Come here. Come take a look at this."

Sam set the paper out on the counter revealing a map. It was the same map that they had used back in Wisconsin when they figured out the Shtriga's pattern.

"I just thought of something. I can't believe I didn't see it before."

"What, Sam?"

"Okay, remember, back in Wisconsin, the shtriga's pattern?" Sam said pointing to the map. "It was hitting the houses circling the hospital."

"Yeah."

"Well, now, just like I said, there doesn't seem to be any kind of clear pattern this time around. I mean they're all over the city and the kids are in several different hospitals."

"Yeah. What are you getting at?"

"This," Sam said as he pulled out another map, this time a map of Ohio. "If we mark all the houses that have been hit, we just get a random pattern," he said as he made marks on the map. "See? They're all over. Some are close together, others aren't. But altogether, there are three hospitals near each one of these houses."

"Yeah, okay," Dean agreed.

"I didn't see it before because it was such a large ground to cover. But, if you take all these places together," Sam continued as he made some more marks on the map, "and add it up, look what's in the middle this time."

Dean looked at the map.

"Children's Hope Center," Dean read. "Children's Hope Center? What is that, like a daycare or something?"

"It's an orphanage."

"But wait, I don't get it. What the connection between that and the kids? None of the kids were orphans."

"No, but if you look at the files we got, then the pattern's right there."

Dean looked through each of the children's records.

"Whoa. Most of these kids were just recently adopted? So all these kids came from the orphanage?"

"Yup. And there's your pattern."

Dean chuckled. "Nice work, college boy."

"But now, our only problem is, finding out which one of the kids are next and whether or not the next kid has already been adopted or not. Besides the orphanage in the middle, the pattern's still pretty random. So who knows if this thing decides to feast at the center or not."

"Right."

The brothers paused for a moment, trying to figure out they're next move, when Dean realized something.

"Wait a minute."

"What?"

"The name. Children's Hope Center," he read again. He looked at Sam. "Does that organization sound familiar to you?"

Sam shook his head at first, not recalling the familiar name. But then it dawned on him. Both brothers realized where they had heard the name. It was the same place their two younger cousins were taken after their parents passed away. They looked at each other.

"Syd and Jason," they said simultaneously. There was fear and worry in their eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Fearing for the safety of their cousins, Dean and Sam hurried off as fast as possible to the Children's Hope Center. The orphanage was in the downtown area, a good long ways away from the motel the boys were staying at. So even with the way Dean drove, it took them nearly an hour to get there. By the time they did, it was deep into the night.

They pulled up into the empty parking lot. Neither brother knew for sure where the shtriga would hit next, and that worried them. They hated walking into a situation that wasn't cut and dry. That always started and ended up with trouble. But they knew they had no choice. The shtriga was waiting to feast again and they had to stop it before it could hurt any more kids. They just hoped that their cousins were all right. Syd and Jason were their responsibility. If anything ever happened to them, Dean and Sam would never forgive themselves. After all, their cousins were at that orphanage because of them.

Dean and Sam got out of the car and grabbed their weapons from the trunk hoping that they weren't too late. They quietly approached the entrance of the building, being sure not to cause any kind of unnecessary attention in case there was nothing going on. Both brothers were hoping that they were wrong about the shtriga attacking there. But that hope quickly disappeared once they reached the front door. To the right of the entrance, they saw the familiar rotted handprint on the windowsill. They were worried. The shtriga was there, probably snacking on same child that very moment.

Quietly but cautiously, Dean and Sam broke into the orphanage. They knew that there was only one way to kill the witch and they didn't want to bust that chance by doing anything that would let the shtriga know of their presence.

As they walked in, they found a lady, whom they assumed to be one of the workers there, lying on the floor unconscious. When they turned her over, they realized she was dead, with blood all over her and coming out of her mouth and deep wounds on her chest. They looked behind them and they saw, lying on the couch, was a little boy unconscious as well. Immediately they knew it was the work of the shtriga.

Dean was getting pissed, not only because of what the shtriga was doing, but because of how it was doing it. This one was working way too fast. And not only was its pattern random, but now, instead of just sucking the life out of innocent kids, it was killing people too. He wanted the thing dead.

Sam didn't want to leave the boy but he knew that had to go after the shtriga. So he followed Dean upstairs into one of the rooms. Their hearts melted when they saw two kids lying motionless in their bed, completely pale. Sam rushed to the childrens' side and checked on their condition. He was slightly relieved when he felt their pulse. It was weak, but it was a pulse nonetheless. He gave Dean a nod indicating that they were still alive and they should keep searching the place for the shtriga. They needed to get the kids to the hospital, but they also knew that they needed to kill the shtriga first before any other kids got hurt. Plus, they knew that if they did that, then there was a big possibility the kids would be all right once the shtriga was dead. That's what happened back in Wisconsin. So they figured, if they kill the shtriga, they save the kids either way.

They continued down the hall toward another room. They looked through the crack of the door and saw the black-robed creature roaming around the room as if searching for something. Sam and Dean prepared their weapons ready to get rid of the witch. Dean was itching to empty a clip into the thing but he knew that shooting it would be useless unless it was feeding on something, and that clearly wasn't happening. It just seemed to be standing still.

"It's just standing there. What is it doing?" Sam whispered.

"I don't know," Dean whispered back.

Dean tried to get a closer look at what was happening inside the room, but as he stepped forward, the floorboard creaked, catching the shtriga's attention. And though they knew that it wouldn't do anything, Dean and Sam flung the door open and started shooting at it anyway, just because it was really starting to piss them off.

The shtriga roared and yelled but that was it. Then it jumped out of the window and quickly disappeared. The brothers tried to keep shooting at it but it was too fast.

"Son of a—" Dean didn't even finish. He was too pissed off to even yell.

Sam just stared at him.

"What?" Dean told him, still pissed.

"Dude, you did know that shooting it wouldn't work, right? 'Cuz you seemed pretty determined."

"Yeah, but it's really pissing me off. And don't forget, you were shooting at it too, genius."

"Only because you were."

"Whatever."

"What I don't get is, what was it doing just standing here?"

Dean shrugged. "I don't know. Looking for something? Waiting for something?"

"What?"

Dean and Sam looked around the room, trying to figure out what it was the shtriga was doing. Then Sam noticed something on the floor.

"Dean, is that salt?"

Dean followed Sam's gaze and indeed, that's what it was. They cautiously approached the closet where a line of salt had been lain. As they opened the door, they heard a soft gasp. They boys looked at each other for a second before Dean bent down a little to see what was in the closet.

"Someone in there?" Dean asked gently. He looked in some more and could tell someone was hiding behind some clothes.

"Dean?" he heard a soft voice say. He took a step back, a bit surprised.

A young girl jumped out of the closet and into his arms.

"Dean!" the little girl yelled.

It was Sydney.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean just held on to Sydney as she continued to hug him tightly. He could feel her whole body trembling as she buried her face in his chest. He soothingly rubbed her back as he picked her up, telling her everything was all right now. Sam stroked her arm, offering her comfort too. Dean tried to lift her head up to get a look at her but her grip on him was strong. She didn't want to let go of him. 

"Hey. Hey, Syd," Dean tenderly whispered to her, trying to get her to look at him. He continued to gently rubbed her back. "It's all right. Everything's okay now. Can you look at me, sweetie?"

"Syd?" Sam added, trying to get her to look up too.

Dean felt her trembling body finally calm down. She slowly picked her head up off of his chest and looked at him, her arms still around his neck. He smiled at her.

"Hey there, pretty girl." She offered a smile back without saying a word but quickly looked back down again and began playing with his necklace. "How you doing? You alright?" She nodded, biting her lip. "We missed you," he continued as he tried to get her to look at him again.

She did. "I missed you, too," she said in barely a whisper. During the whole time, she didn't even realize that someone else was standing there with Dean. But when she looked up a little, she finally saw Sam standing there. As soon as she did, her eyes grew wide.

Sam smiled. "Hi, kiddo. Don't I get a hug, too?"

Syd let go of Dean's neck and reached for Sam. Dean gladly passed her off to him.

"Sam!" she cried as she hugged him tightly.

"Hey," Sam said, rocking her back and forth, "I missed you."

"Miss you too." She looked at him with a smile.

"Where's your brother?" Immediately she began to look down and wrapped her arms around Sam's neck again, lying her head on his shoulders. "What is it, Sydney?" But she didn't say a word. She just hugged him tighter. "Okay. It's all right. You don't have to tell me now if you don't want to," he said, gently stroking her back.

Sam and Dean looked at each other with concern knowing what that look on Sydney's face meant. Something was wrong. Something had happened. But as much as they wanted to know what that something was, they knew they had other things to take care of at the moment too. Right now, they had one dead body in the place with them along with three other kids who weren't doing so well either. They knew they needed to get them help.

So far, they were only able to check two rooms so they weren't sure if any other kids were hurt. They didn't have many more rooms to check since it was a small orphanage; actually, it looked more like a house. But if there were more kids in the house, they assumed that there must be at least two kids in each room since the other room they had been in had two beds. The boys decided to check out the rest of the place. They were leaving Sydney's room when she asked them to stop.

Sydney lifted her head off of Sam's shoulders. "Wait," she told them before they walked out of the room. "My friend."

"Don't worry, Sydney," Sam said, looking her in the eye. "we'll take them to the hospital. We'll get them help all right?"

"No, no. My friend." Her eyes seemed to be pleading.

Sam and Dean didn't understand. "What?"

She pointed to the closet where she had been hiding in a second ago. "In there."

Sam and Dean gave each other a glance before Dean went to look inside again. Inside, next to the pile of clothes Syd had been hiding under, was another girl. She was pale and unconscious just as the other kids. 

"Aw crap, man," Dean said picking up the other little girl.

"Is she okay? Is she breathing?" Sam asked.

Dean felt for a pulse. "Barely. Come on, we gotta get these kids help." 

Sam nodded and they walked out of the room, each brother carrying the girls downstairs.

Dean gently laid the girl he was carrying down on the couch near the little boy they found earlier, trying to make her as comfortable as he could despite her condition. Sam seemed to have forgotten that Sydney was watching them the whole time and didn't realize the fear in her eyes until they heard her gasp loudly. She was in tears from what she saw.

"Sam!" Dean yelled at him for not paying more attention to their little cousin and shielding her eyes from the awful scene in the living room.

Immediately, Sam turned Sydney away, gently turning her head away from the sight. Sam's face was filled with complete regret and guilt for not thinking ahead. Dean, too, felt guilty for not thinking about it earlier. But neither of them had time at the moment to dwell on the past and the situation was too serious for Dean to be upset.

"Alright look, we gotta call for help before these guys get worse. Uh, Sam, why don't you put her in the car, while I go ch—"

Sam gently laid his hand over Syd's ear to prevent her from hearing what he and Dean were saying.

"No way, man. I'm not leaving her in the car," Sam interrupted, "what if the shtriga's still out there?"

"Ok, then. Leave her in the kitchen."

"I can't leave her alone, Dean." 

"Sam, we can't take her with us to check out the rest of the place. She's seen too much already."

Sam saw Dean's point. "All right."

Sam headed to the kitchen with Sydney. He turned on the light and was ready to sit her down on a chair, but she kept clutching onto him tighter. She began to softly squeal. "No…don't leave me," she softly cried.

"Shh, Sydney. It's okay," Sam said, as he stroked her forearm, still wrapped around his neck. He squatted down to meet the height of the chair as he sat her down on it, but she still refused to let go. "Hey, Sydney. Hey. Kiddo, look at me," he gently demanded. She softened her grip on him and faced him. "We are not leaving you okay? But you want us to go help your friends right?"

She nodded, letting go of Sam, as she wiped the tears on her face with her forearm.

"Okay," he smiled at her, wiping away the tears on her cheek with his thumb.

"Hey," Dean added, squatting down near Sydney as well, "we're not gonna let anything happen to you okay? We'll be right back, all right?" She nodded again. "Okay. Give me a hug," he said with a smile.

She smiled back and give Dean a hug, as Dean and Sam exchanged concerned, worried looks.

After promising Sydney one more time that they'd be right back, they left her in the kitchen and went back upstairs to check the rest of the orphanage. Thankfully, the rest of the rooms were empty so no other kids were hurt. They thought it was a bit strange for an orphanage to be so empty despite its small capacity but then they remember that lately, a lot of kids had been adopted. When they didn't find any other kids, Sam and Dean wiped any prints that they may have made while they were there and cleaned up any other evidence of their presence as best as they could before looking in at the other two kids in the other room and bringing them downstairs.

Sydney watched as she saw both brothers reach the end of the stairs carrying two of her unconscious friends and headed to the living room. She followed behind them, stopping near the entrance to the living room. She watched them as she leaned her head against the door panel, her eyes filled with sadness for her friends. 

Once they finished laying the kids down, they turned around and saw Sydney standing there watching them.

"Aw, Sydney," Dean said softly, walking over to her and picking her up. She reached out at him and he picked her up. "You're not supposed to be in here, kiddo."

She stared down at his necklace and began playing with it again. Dean and Sam couldn't help just staring at their little cousin.

"Hey, why don't you two head to the car, now. I'll call for an ambulance and meet you out there," Sam offered.

"'Kay," Dean nodded and headed out the door with Syd in his arms.

Sam called for help, but left himself anonymous. He felt bad for not being able to take the kids to the hospital themselves and make sure they were taken care of. But they couldn't help it. They couldn't risk being recognized and thrown into jail, especially with Sydney with them. Once he was done calling for help, he went back to the car with Dean and Syd, who sitting in the back with her seatbelt fastened, already asleep. The brothers anxiously waited for the ambulances to arrive. When it finally came, they drove off, heading back to their motel room.


	4. Chapter 4

A little over an hour later, Dean, Sam and their little cousin arrived at the motel. Sydney was still fast asleep, curled up in the back of the Impala. Dean had been really careful as he drove, being sure not to make any unnecessary sharp brakes and turns that would wake his baby cousin up. And ever so often, during the ride back, Sam would look back at the sleeping form, just to make sure she looked comfortable. 

Neither brother really knew what went on in that orphanage or whatever happened to Jason, wherever he was. And although they really needed answers in order to figure this whole thing out, they didn't want to wake Sydney up just yet to find out about it. From the way she was immediately knocked out the moment Dean cradled her in his arms and laid her in the Impala, she either hadn't slept well in a good long while or she must've been up all night—way past curfew for a little kid to still be up. And not knowing what went on or how much or how bad the things Sydney had seen was—it was killing the brothers. But they cared about Syd way too much to disturb her just then.

After Dean got out of the car, he went to grab Sydney. Both brothers were careful not to slam the doors closed too loud. Dean slowly unhooked Syd's seatbelt and gently picked her up while Sam went around the car to give Dean a hand and close the back door. Then the three headed inside.

Sam turned on the lights before closing the door while Dean carefully laid his little cousin on one of the beds. He pulled the sheets up to her neck and tucked her in before sitting down on the bed next to hers. He gently brushed some stray hair away from her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. He just sat there, staring at her for a moment as her rubbed her cheek, cursing at himself for not being a good enough cousin to Sydney by protecting her from all this.

"You alright?" Sam asked with concern, feeling the same way as Dean.

"She could've been one of those kids, Sam," Dean answered without looking up. "She…" his voice trailed off, filled with guilt.

"But she's not, Dean." Sam interrupted, approaching Dean. The last thing he needed right now was for Dean to blame himself again, just like the last time they dealt with a shtriga. "She's here with us, right now, sound asleep; snoring loudly, but safe." Both brothers smiled at the snoring child.

_Yeah, you're right. _ Dean thought, a sense of comfort returning to him again. But that comfort quickly disappeared within the moment Sydney began to squirm in her sleep. As she fidgeted, Dean instantly, as if by reflex, knelt right beside her and began soothingly stroking her back. She continued to wriggle; the shifting of her head from left to right for a few moments indicated to both brothers that she was probably having a nightmare. It didn't really surprise them though. Considering all she must've seen just a few hours earlier, the boys didn't expect for her to completely forget about it all of a sudden. But they did look on with concern.

"Shh, it's okay, Syd. You're okay. It's just a dream," Dean soothingly told her. He continued to give her comforting words as she began to cry. But after some more soothing stroking and quiet but gentle shushing from Dean, Sydney fell asleep once again, a stray tear escaping from her eyes, which Dean gently wiped away. But though she was asleep again, her whimpers were more than enough to cause Dean and Sam to worry once again. But it wasn't her whimpering alone that brought fear into the brothers' minds. They knew it was normal for her to act the way she was after what had happened. But what did scare them was when she muttered Jason's name several times. It scared them because as much as they wanted to believe that Jason was okay and that they would find him, deep down they had no idea where he really was or if he was hurt or even alive for that matter. All they knew was that he wasn't anywhere in the orphanage. And when the asked Sydney where he was, her not answering indicated to them that possibly something bad had happened to him. And not knowing what really happened in there before they arrived there scared the crap out of them. And if it scared them this much, they couldn't imagine how scared Syd must've been.

Sam and Dean just look at each other, their eyes filled with concern and fear about their cousin. They had to work fast. They needed to believe that Jason was still alive out there somewhere and they needed to find him. They just hoped that maybe they were just jumping the gun here thinking he was hurt when he was safe under some foster family's care. But without knowing for sure, they had to assume the worst and work fast to figure the whole thing out. But they also knew that they couldn't really do anything just then, not with Sydney with them. So they decided to grab some shuteye before figuring out what to do next.

A few hours later, Sam awoke to find Sydney still asleep on the bed with Dean, his arms protectively wrapped around her. He couldn't help but smile at the way Dean acted when it came to taking care of his family, especially those younger than him. He had expected Dean to sleep on the other bed or on the couch and let Sydney have the bed all to herself, but instead, Dean was the one who offered to sleep on Sydney's bed. Though Dean was a tough-guy on the outside, Sam knew that his brother would risk all in order to protect his loved ones, including him, and he was grateful for it.

Sam quietly got up and decided to get some breakfast. When he returned, he found Dean getting off the bed, being careful not to wake Sydney. Sam laid the food on the coffee table and handed Dean a cup of coffee, which he groggily but gladly accepted.

"Thanks," Dean said half-asleep. "What'd you get?"

"I found a Mickey D's nearby so I got the Deluxe Platter."

"Awesome," Dean said with a grin, now wide-awake at the mention of some delicious breakfast. "I'm starving."

"But you gotta save some for Sydney," Sam added knowing full well that if he didn't say anything, Dean would more than likely eat it all.

"I know," Dean said giving Sam a look as he opened up the bag. _ Jeez, it's not like I can finish the whole thing anyway. Well…_ "There's four in here."

"I know. Just in case you 'accidentally' start eating Sydney's."

"Whatever," Dean muttered back and the two began eating.

"So, you figure out what we're gonna do yet?" Sam asked after getting a few bites in. 

"Well, obviously we gotta figure out where Jason is. Hopefully, he was one of the kids adopted recently. That way, we'll know he's okay. But if he is off with some foster family, I don't understand how the heck they can separate them like that? Jason's her older brother. They're supposed to stay together."

"Well, there isn't exactly a law stating orphaned siblings have to stay together."

"I know, but still."

"Hey, I was thinking about something earlier. Now that I think about it, I don't think we're hunting a shtriga after all."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, for one, the patterns. They've been pretty screwed up since the first couple of kids. Basically, the only solid comparison we have between this creature and a shtriga is that it's choosing kids and it feeds off of them. Other than that, everything is completely random."

"Not to mention that this thing also kills people, too."

"Right. And last time I checked, I don't think shtriga's are susceptible to salt. Shtriga's are 'invulnerable to all weapons devised by God and men' remember? I think that would include salt."

"But this one was." Dean concluded, putting all the information together.

Sam nodded.

"But another thing that's bugging me is the salt."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but unless Sydney's been taking hunting lessons, I don't think she was the one who lined up her door with salt."

"Then who did?"

"That lady we found? I mean she did look pretty torn up like she was putting up a fight trying to protect the kids from the creature."

"But if that's the case, how come Sydney's door was the only one lined up with salt?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know, man. This whole case is bugging me."

They both paused and continued eating for a moment. After a little while, Sam spoke up again.

"Okay. So first, we find Jason. But what about Syd? We can't take her with us, Dean. I mean, you said so yourself, she's seen too much already."

"I know. So I was thinking maybe we can find a place for her to stay for a while. You know, somewhere safe. I'm not too sure I want her in another orphanage just yet, so maybe we can give Ellen a call. See if she can look out for her for a little bit or something."

"Ellen?"

"Yeah, why not?" 

"Ellen lives in a roadhouse, Dean, surrounded by other hunters with _guns_—things that a little girl like her shouldn't even be around."

"There's no one else, Sam. Who else can watch after the kid? And Bobby's not an option. I love the guy, but him and kids? Yeah right." Dean scoffed, shaking his head.

"How about Missouri?"

Dean stopped chewing. "Missouri?" he repeated with food in his mouth, recalling the past experiences with her and her liking Sam more over him. "You're joking right?"

"She's our safest bet, man. You know she'll keep her safe."

Although Dean wasn't all for it, he had to admit, he knew that Missouri would take care of Sydney. And although he didn't like his last run-in with her, considering the oppositions she seemed to throw at him, he knew that Sydney would be safe with her. So he finally agreed.

"Alright."

A little while later, Sydney began to stir awake. Sam was the first to come to her side as Dean looked on.

"Good morning, kiddo," he said to her with a smile. For a moment, there wasn't any kind of response from Sydney. She just stared at the brothers looking confused. "You alright?" Sam's smile faded and was replaced with a look of concern.

"Sammy?" she softly said, still lying in bed as she rubbed her eyes.

"Yeah, it's Sammy. Remember? Me and Dean came and got you last night."

She paused as she went over the events of the night before, remembering all that happened. She finally remembered. She smiled before embracing him. "Morning," she said.

Sam picked her up off the bed and went towards the table. "I got you some breakfast. You hungry?"

She nodded, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. 

"Here you go," Sam said sitting her on his lap. Dean got out her breakfast and put it in front of her.

"That's a lot!" she exclaimed surprised.

"But you can finish it, right?" Dean said, smiling.

"Yes," she laughed, accepting the challenge.

"Good, or else I'm gonna eat it all."

The three of them smiled.

"Go ahead and eat." She looked back and forth between the brothers. "What's wrong?"

She whispered in Sam's ear. Sam looked surprised at what she was telling him.

"Oh, um…ok. Sure." He smiled at her.

"Did you?"

"No…but you can for yours."

"Okay," she said.

Dean looked at Sam questioningly wondering what the two were talking about. But he figured it out as soon as he saw Sydney fold her hands together, bow her head and closed her eyes. She began to pray over her food. As she prayed, Dean and Sam just looked at each other in total surprise at the action of their little cousin.

"Amen," she concluded. 

"Amen," the boys repeated simultaneously.

Sydney smiled and began to eat as the brothers continued to watch her. Dean couldn't help but smile at his little cousin. Sure he was surprised and didn't expect her to pray for her food, but at the same time, he felt proud in a way, that though his cousin was so young, she thought of saying grace before she ate. Not that he felt the same way over his food, but still, he couldn't help but smile and neither could Sam.

As she ate, the boys tried to get her to talk about what happened, hoping that they would find more clues about what went on in there.

"What were you doing the closet?" Sam asked.

"Hiding. Well, I was sleeping but Miss Rachel said we were gonna play hide and seek so she told me to hide in the closet. I was a little confused but I stayed in there anyway. Then, later, I heard her running and yelling. She opened the door and put Sarah in there and told me that Sarah wanted to play too, but she was sleeping. I tried waking her up but she wouldn't." She paused, her head down. "Then, Miss Rachel was spilling sugar on the floor and said that it would stop seek from finding me. Then she closed the door. But she didn't come back." She shrugged again. "But you and Dean found me." She smiled.

"What about Jason? Do you know where he is?" her smile faded. She looked down again. 

"Sydney, what is it? What happened to your brother?"

"I don't know…" she answered, biting her lip. "He said good night to me the other day but I didn't see him anymore. I don't know where he went." She didn't look back up. She just keep eating her food.

"It's okay, Sydney. We're here. We'll find Jason."

She looked up. "I know," she smiled. "Jason always said that if something happened to us, you would find us."

"Yes, we will." Sam smiled as she kept on eating. 

Once she was done eating, the brothers told her to get cleaned up and take a shower and they would explain what they would be doing that day. She headed to the bathroom with the new clothes to change into that Sam had just bought for her in her hand. Sam also gave her a toothbrush and she headed for the bathroom.

"Can you take a shower by yourself?" Dean asked a bit awkward. He was hoping she did, otherwise, he knew that both he and Sam would help her out but would have a hard time doing so. She was family but still, they've never actually looked out after kids before.

She turned around and stared at Dean for a second. "I'm not a baby anymore, Deanie," she whined. "I'm a big girl, now," she said turning around again.

"Oh. Ok. Sorry." Dean said diffidently as she closed the door.

Sam laughed. "Yeah, Deanie, she's a big girl now."

"Shutup. And only she gets to call me that, Sammy."

"It's Sam." 

"Whatever, and you're lucky she does know how to shower herself. Because you would've been the one helping her."

"Ok. Whatever, Deanie."

Dean grabbed a pillow and threw it at Sam who just laughed even harder. While they waited for Sydney, Sam gave Missouri a call and told her what was going on. She agreed to look after Sydney for as long as they needed. Once Sydney finished, they explained to her what was going on.

"Where are we going, again?" she asked Sam as he sat her on his lap. 

"Well, you are going to stay with one of you daddy's friend, Missouri."

"The state?"

Dean chuckled. "No, not the state. You know your states already?"

"Yup. All fifty of them." She said proudly.

"How about the capitals?" Sam asked.

She looked down, embarrassed. "No…we haven't learned that yet."

"You learned all that in the orphanage?"

"No, Mommy and Daddy taught me and Jason. But we learned the rest there. My teacher said I'm a fast learner." 

"Yeah? I think so, too." Sam smiled.

"So Missouri knew my Daddy?"

"Yes. She knows ours too. You'll be staying with her for a while."

"Are you coming with me?" her eyes seemed to be filled with fear.

Dean and Sam looked a little guilty as they shook their head. "But we'll be back for you as soon as we can."

"Why can't I come with you? You guys don't like me anymore?" her voice broke as she was nearly in tears.

"Of course, we like you, Syd. We love you. You're our little cousin. But we need to find your brother too and make sure he's okay."

"You'll find Jason?" hey eyes widened.

"Yes, we will. And as soon as we do, we'll come get you. But we don't you to go missing like Jason so we need to leave you with Missouri. Okay?"

She nodded. "Is she nice?"

"Yes, she's a nice lady." Sam said. "She'll take care of you while we're gone."

"But you'll be back for me, right?" she asked Dean, wanting to be sure.

"Yes, me and Sam and Jason will be back for you."

"Promise?" 

"Sydney," Dean said as he took her off of Sam's lap and put her in his, "Have we ever lied to you—ever broken a promise to you?" Sydney made a face as she thought real hard about Dean's question. She then shook her head. "Well, then we're not gonna start now either, okay?"

Sydney nodded. "Okay," she said with a smile before startling Dean with a forceful embrace. Dean returned the embrace.

"We'll find your brother. We promise."

Sydney smiled, knowing that she could always trust her two older cousins.

"Okay, kiddo. We gotta go." 

"Okay." Dean set her down and they grabbed their stuff. Then they headed towards Missouri's house.


	5. Chapter 5

The trip to Missouri's took nearly three days rather than what the boys initially expected. Usually, if they had to travel through three states to get to their destination, they were able to do it in less than a day if Dean drove the whole time. If Sam drove, one day and a half tops, only because Sam always insisted on driving only up 15 miles above the speed limit in order to avoid any unnecessary encounters with law enforcement officials.

This trip, however, was a whole new experience for both brothers. It was the first time they actually had an extra passenger along with them; a passenger who was more than a decade younger than them; a little eight-year-old kid. And along with this particular package included more rest stops and bathroom breaks than they were used to.

The first six hours driving went by smoothly for the three cousins.

Since first leaving the motel, Sydney kept telling the boys how excited she was to "travel 'round the world." It was the first time she was old enough to remember traveling to another state. She was only two years old when she and her family moved to Ohio from Kansas, too young to really remember anything. She was also proud of the fact that she knew where they were actually headed. She had learned about all fifty states and where each one was located and she made sure that Dean and Sam knew that fact.

And of course, the boys thought it was very cute.

* * *

"You doing okay there, Syd?" Sam asked, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder as he turned in his seat. "You haven't said anything in a while…you still with us?"

Hearing Sam speak, Dean glanced at him before turning his attention to Sydney with the help of the rearview mirror. They frowned momentarily, a bit concerned, as they waited for an answer.

Sydney, who had previously been gazing out the window, now shifted her focus on her cousins, looking at Sam first, then Dean. She smiled and nodded.

"Yes," she told them. "Of course I'm still with you."

"Alright. That's a good girl."

The boys smiled, relieved that even in her situation, she still had the strength to smile. The one concern they had was that Sydney, after seeing what she saw a few nights ago and being as young as she is, would eventually begin shutting herself out and stop speaking, especially since she may not be too certain as to what to make out of what had happened. But seeing her smile brought hope to the brothers that she was stronger than most kids in her same position probably would be. However, they knew that, though she was smiling, she was also really hurting inside and really scared – scared not knowing where her brother was. And it was hurting them to see the hurt and fear in her eyes despite her attempt to hide what she was feeling.

They couldn't help but mentally chuckle to themselves about just how much she was like them, despite her age – trying to hide her true feelings.

Sam sighed, the frown returning, as he noticed the subtle but present twitch in Syd's eyes and change in her facial expression, knowing that she must be thinking about that night again.

"You miss him, don't you?"

Her smile faded slowly as she nodded, still trying her best to not think about it so much in spite of how she felt.

Sam and Dean frowned at each other, both filling with hatred toward the freaking thing that took their cousin and made their other cousin feel so scared and hurt.

"Well, we do too," Dean said, speaking to her through the mirror. "But don't worry, kiddo. We'll find him. I promise you we will find him. "

She nodded again. "I know you will."

She knew they'd find Jason. She was certain of it. And that made her so feel so relieved and gave her comfort.

* * *

They stopped at a small diner to grab some food and use the restroom before starting out again.

There, the boys were able to bond with her a little bit better now that they could look at her as she talked instead of having to turn around uncomfortably in their seats as they had to do in the Impala. She told them of the past two and a half years – how she and Jason had been doing up until Dean and Sam found her – a conversation which the boys hoped would give them some clues as to Jason's whereabouts.

Unfortunately, the information wasn't more than they already knew.

* * *

Once they finished eating, they started back on the road.

Each Winchester continued their bonding as they continued to converse with one another. So far, considering the circumstances, it was a pleasurable trip. Sydney too was enjoying the bond with her cousins until she felt that feeling again – the same feeling she felt back at the dinner less than an hour ago. She really hated what she was about to do. The last thing she wanted right now was to ruin the moment minutes of bonding that they had going currently, but she had no choice. She had to break the silence.

"Um, Deanie?" she said, pushing a finger to her lip as if embarrassed to say anything.

Sam snickered at the nickname causing Dean to throw him a look before he answered.

"Yeah, kiddo?" he answered, looking at her through the rearview mirror.

"Um, I need to use the bathroom."

"Already?"

"Yes."

"But you just went less than an hour ago."

"I know, I know. But now I have to go again." She bit her lip as she said so.

"Can't you wait for another hundred miles or so?"

She paused and looked at him, now even more embarrassed for bringing it up. She would have told him yes, but she wasn't sure how long she really could wait. She knew she shouldn't have drank too much pink lemonade. But since that was something she realized after the fact, it didn't really matter. But still, she felt bad for seeming to upset Dean so she decided she'd force herself to wait, despite the torture it may bring to her bladder. But before she could say anything, Sam spoke up.

"Dean!" Sam scolded. "She has to use the bathroom."

"Oh, alright!" Dean exclaimed. "Don't get your panties in a twist, Samantha. We'll stop at the next rest stop."

"Thank you," she replied gratefully, though still slightly embarrassed.

Sam saw her tinted cheeks and just gave her a wink, reassuring her that it was no trouble at all. Sometimes, Dean just got his own panties in a twist and needed it untwisted by some scolding. So Sydney was very grateful that Sam had scolded Dean about taking a break. Otherwise, all three of them would've regretted it.

After washing her hands in the restroom of the seventh rest area they had pulled into since leaving the diner, Sydney walked outside and was a little surprised when she saw Dean waiting for her just a few yards away. During the other stops, Dean had stayed in the car while Sam had been the one waiting for her and he always seemed to be in a good mood. But she noticed that Dean wasn't smiling so she thought he was upset at her for asking to stop frequently and was about to scold her for it.

She sighed wearily and drooped her shoulders, placing her hands in her pocket, and stared at the ground as she walked towards him, disappointed in herself for seeming to disappoint her older cousin.

"What's the matter, Sydney?" Dean asked a little concerned after noticing the sudden change in her demeanor.

He heard her say something but it was unclear. Placing his hands on his knees, Dean bent forward until they were about the same head length and looked at her. He frowned when she seemed afraid to even look at him.

"What did you say?"

He saw her flinch slightly and suddenly turn her attention to playing with her fingers.

"I..I'm sorry," she said.

"Sorry? For what?"

"For making you mad at me."

"Mad at you? Why would you think that?"

He waited for an answer, but when he didn't get one, he finally realized why she thought that. He sighed before squatting down to try to get her to look at him.

"Sydney. Look at me. Can you look at me, please?"

She slowly lifted her head up.

"There's the pretty eyes I was looking for," he said with a smile. "Syd, I'm not mad at you, ok? You just…" he searched for the right word, "surprised me a little, that's all."

"But I'm making us late to go to that lady's house."

He chuckled. "With the way Sammy drives and all, we would've been late any way – potty break or not potty break. Besides, it always takes us a few days to get to where we need to be."

She looked at him and thought for a moment. "So…you're really not mad at me?"

Dean shook his head. "Are you crazy? I can never be mad at you. You're my baby cousin. And there's nothing me and Sam wouldn't do for you or your brother, and that includes tons and tons of bathroom breaks, k?"

She smiled and nodded his head. "Okay, Deanie." she said as she gave him an embrace.

He slightly grimaced at the nickname, finally realizing why Sam always got annoyed when he called him "Sammy." Adding the "E" sound to a name seemed to be an insult to a grown man by making feel like they're being call "a chubby twelve year old kid." But, he figured he'd let it slide with the kid. She was too cute, especially after thinking he was upset at her over a few bathroom breaks. And though he realized that calling Sam "Sammy" annoyed his little brother, that didn't mean he was going to stop calling him that – not by a long shot.

"Alright," he said, returning her embrace. "Now what do you say we get out of here before your other cousin gets his panties in a twist again because we've been gone a while?"

She laughed in agreement and Dean picked her up and they headed to the car.

"Everything alright?" Sam asked after the other two entered the car. "You guys took a while."

"Yeah, everything's good," Dean answered. He turned around to Sydney. "See, what'd I tell you?" he smirked, referring to their earlier conversation about Sam being impatient, making Syd laugh again.

Sam looked at Dean then Sydney. "Tell her what? What'd you tell her? Something about me? Dude, what? Syd, what'd he tell you?"

She shook her head and just laughed some more, making Dean laugh too.

"Ugh, you guys suck," Sam sulk, crossing his arms, the insult having no effect on changing their minds about telling them what they were laughing about beside only causing even more laughter. Sam just shook his head.

Sydney smiled both inwardly and outwardly. Right now, despite her thoughts and fears, she felt safe and secure with them. Granted she didn't exactly feel whole at the moment due to her brother's disappearance, still, what she was feeling just them was a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time. Though being with Jason made her feel just as safe, it was different being with relatives whom she knew really cared about her and her brother. It was different being with cousins, whom she knew, would do everything in their power to keep their promise to her – the promise that they would find her brother and reunite him again with her. And to her, at that moment, there was no greater feeling.


	6. Chapter 6

They stayed at another motel for the night before finally reaching Missouri's house the next day. 

"Well, we're here," Dean stated as he pulled the Impala to a stop and turning off the ignition. 

Sydney simply stared out the window, gazing at house as she saw a woman come out, smiling warmly at them. She was having mixed feelings within her mind – nervousness, fear, excitement, wonder – about what to expect from this woman who, her cousins had told her, would look out for her for a few days. She was so focused on her thoughts that she didn't even notice that both Dean and Sam had already stepped out of the car. 

"Hey, you," Sam said sticking his head back inside the car once he realized Sydney hadn't budged. "You coming or what?" 

She shook herself from her thoughts and nodded while Sam opened the door for her. Upon exiting the car, she instinctively took hold of Sam's hand. Sam looked down at her for a moment and smiled at her reassuringly; Syd, looked up at Sam as well and returned the smile, though hers was a bit more of a nervous smile. 

The three walked towards Missouri and she greeted them warmly, allowing them passage inside and leading them to the kitchen. There, they found a lunch prepared for them on the table. They weren't exactly expecting to see such a deliciously looking, appetizing meal ready for them. They were grateful, but also a bit hesitant to sit down and eat, especially since the boys figured they were probably burdening Missouri enough by asking her for such a huge favor as asking her to lookout for Sydney. 

But of course, as if reading their minds – and she probably was – Missouri shoved each of them gently towards the table. 

"Now, the three of you, don't be bashful. What are ya'll waiting for? Sit down and dig in. Please."

Missouri showed them to their seats and they obediently sat down and prepared to eat, doing as she said. 

"Here you go, darling," she said with a smile as she placed a napkin on Sydney's lap, earning herself a smile from the child, which indicated that Sydney was beginning to feel comfortable in her presence. "And don't say it's too much food," Missouri continued as she too, sat down, "because I've seen how you boys have eaten, especially you, Dean." 

Dean stopped chewing, as an annoyed expression surfaced on his face, causing Sam and Sydney to smirk a little. Dean just rolled his eyes and focused back on his food, now remembering why it was exactly that he was reluctant to go to Missouri's in the first place. 

After lunch, Missouri quickly gave the boys and Sydney a tour of the rest of her house. Afterwards, she told Dean where they could find the room she had prepared for Syd. He helped his cousin get settled into the room, setting down on the floor her duffel bag filled with clothes that he and Sam had gotten for her earlier during the trip. Sam, on the other hand, stayed behind in the kitchen helping Missouri with the dishes as he explained in detail, the situation to her. 

Meanwhile, in her nicely prepared room, Sydney was beginning to have second thoughts about being left behind by her cousins in the house of a lady she didn't even know. Her eyes began to water a little as thoughts of being left alone again flowed to her mind. But Dean, being too smart to miss the look of sadness on his little cousin's face, gave her another reassuring talk about how everything was going to be alright and that she had nothing to worry about. Before long, she was convinced by the truth behind Dean's words and felt comforted. Then the both of them, hand in hand, headed back downstairs just as Sam and Missouri had finished cleaning. 

Dean gave Sam a nod indicating that Sydney was okay with the situation.

"You ready?" Sam asked, acknowledging his brother's nod.

"Yup."

"Are you ready?" he asked Sydney as he squatted down beside her. 

With her hand still in Dean's, she glanced back and forth between her two cousins before nodding.

"Yes."

"Everything's gonna be okay kiddo, all right?" She nodded again as Sam gave her a hug. "Missouri's gonna take care of you."

Missouri smiled at Sydney, who politely returned a smile.

"All right, we gotta hit the road."

"Right," Sam said as he got up. "Thanks again, Missouri," he said, hugging her.

"Yeah, Missouri. Thanks." Dean repeated.

"Don't you boys worry, now. I'll take good care of her."

The ladies followed the boys outside and watched as they got into the Impala. They waved good-bye as they drove off. Sydney fought the tears back as she waved good-bye, determined not to let the old lady beside her see. She knew that she agreed to the arrangement but it didn't mean that she liked it.

She continued to watch as the Impala got smaller as the distance grew between them. She just kept telling herself that everything would be all right. After all, that was what Dean and Sam promised her. She knew she was still young to know whatever it was that was going on – especially since they seemed to avoid talking about the situation in front of her. But she just hoped that her cousins would find her brother soon so they could all be reunited again. 


	7. Chapter 7

The days went by agonizingly slow for Sydney. Everyday, she would wait by the door, eager to hear the familiar sound of the Impala's engine making its way back to Missouri's driveway, hopeful that long with it would be her cousins as well as her brother. But as each day went by and she heard nothing from her cousins, she couldn't help but begin to get a little scared. She knew she wasn't really alone; Missouri was there. But as that thought – the thought that the only thing keeping her from being alone was a woman that she barely even knew – continued to be entrenched in her mind, that's all that she began to really feel. Alone.

--

Missouri began getting worried after she noticed a trend in Sydney's behavior within the first three days.

The first morning that Missouri went up to Sydney's room to check if she was awake and call her down for breakfast, she found that Sydney was already awake, showered and dressed, sitting by the windowsill, staring outside it, looking towards the road.

It turned out to be a regular thing.

Though it did concern Missouri, she couldn't exactly say she blamed Sydney. What else could she have expected from an eight-year-old little girl who didn't really have anyone she knew close to her? She didn't know all that much about the child's past, but knew enough to know that she this was certainly not something that she should have had to go through.

The look on Sydney's face was heart-breaking.

Sydney barely said a word the whole time at Missouri's. Missouri would only get timid nods or headshakes in response to any questions she asked her. But if she did speak, Sydney's voice was barely a whisper. She seemed to avoid eye contact too.

But again, the child wasn't to blame. Any child in the same position would've been just as scared and worried, if not more.

Sydney never smiled either, nor did Missouri expect it. She just hoped that her presence would somehow be at least somewhat of a comfort to the lonely child.

But above all else, Missouri was just grateful that, if the child did nothing else, at least she was eating even the small portion that she ate. She had a feeling that even if Sydney were hungry, she wouldn't have complained of it. She wouldn't have said a word. She would've just do what she did everyday – stare out the door with that depressing, gloomy look on her face.

Bless the dear child's heart.

She just hoped that the boys would find Jason soon so they could bring some life back into the little one. Or, if they failed to find Jason, to, as much as she hated the idea, just stop looking for him and come back for Sydney before they lost her, too.

--

Dean groaned in frustration, wiping a hand over his face as he stood up from his bed.

"So that's it? Seriously? Another dead end?" he asked Sam, who was sitting a few feet away from him, facing his laptop.

Sam closed his laptop, frustration clearly evident in his face as well.

"Yeah…we got nothing."

"Maybe we can checkout the library? I hear their database is huge here. See if they have any books on this…"

"Well, that's kind of our problem too, Dean. We don't even have a name for this thing. It was hard enough finding information on the shtriga last time, even more, a shtriga look-alike with no name. What are we gonna search for? Shtriga's evil twin?"

Dean seemed to contemplate it for a moment.

"Shtriga's are already evil. How can they have an evil twin? I'd go with 'shtriga look-alike.'"

Sam looked at him for a second, not certain if he was serious or not.

"What?"

"Are you serious?"

Dean's shrug seemed to indicate so.

"Dean, it's not called a shtriga look-alike."

"How do you know? You haven't even tried it."

"Because I know! One, it's stupid, and two…it's-it's stupid!"

"Oh, so what? You're calling me stupid now, Mr. I-went-to-college-and-you-didn't-so-I'm-smarter-than-you?"

"What?! I didn't – "

Sam just stopped, trying his best to remain calm despite Dean's comment. He knew full well that his brother was only acting that way out of frustration that they had reached yet another dead-end. They were both freaking out, which of course they would never admit it, but it was fairly obvious considering the way their conversation was going already. They were pissed and getting short with each other. And he knew that if they kept this up, they'd only be wasting precious time that they could be using to find Jason. So, instead of continuing, he just stopped and took a breath.

Dean seemed to be pretty much thinking the same thing Sam was because he had taken a deep breath too and calmed down a bit. He knew that there was no chance in hell that the friggin' creature would be called a friggin' shtriga look-alike. Like Sam said, that was just plain stupid and he knew it too. But he was getting desperate. They were running out of options and ideas on what else to do. He sat down on the bed again, feeling defeated.

"So what are we supposed to do now?"

"I don't know," Sam answered in the same defeated tone. "Actually, I was kinda hoping you had an answer to that. You know, being the older brother and all."

"Oh, now you give me the credit."

The two slightly smiled, allowing the tension and frustration to ease just a little bit. Sam was the first to speak up.

"Hey, maybe we should – "

He was cut off by Dean's phone going off.

Dean looked at Sam. "Bobby. Maybe he found something. Yeah, Bobby?"

Sam prayed and hoped that Dean was right and Bobby had found something because they honestly had no idea where to go next from there. While he waited anxiously for Dean to finish speaking with Bobby, he opened his laptop and went back to research mode. He just hoped that Bobby did have some good news for them – preferably a name for this creature, but most importantly, a name that he could do actual research on.

--

"Alright. We'll head over there, then. Yeah. Thanks, Bobby."

"So?" Sam asked Dean after he hung up the phone.

"Well, now I know why we couldn't find any information on that friggin' shtriga wannabe."

"Yeah?"

"Because it's as old as the shtriga, which means the older the creature, the harder it is to find lore on it. It's called a strigoi or stryx. And apparently, it is a shtriga wannabe. The name, traits and the figure itself, even its MO, right down to the rotted handprint – all of it matches the shtriga's. Because, as it turns out, this creature is actually cousin to the shtriga."

"You're kidding me," Sam said, already googling the name of the creature and looking for any information they could find on it.

"Nope. So technically, I'm not as stupid as you thought I was," Dean added with an I-told-you-so look on his face.

"Dean, I nev – " Sam stopped himself again and just rolled his eyes. "Whatever. So how'd Bobby find it?"

"He made a few phone calls, asked around. None of his buddies knew what it was called either but they somehow tipped Bobby into checking out one of his older, untouched for years book of spells."

"Huh. Lucky break," Sam said, relieved that they were finally getting somewhere.

"Yup. About time."

"So what else did he say about them?"

"That was all he had looked up at the moment. He called us as soon as he found it. He said we can head over there though, if we think his books can help us with whatever we've already got – which is nothing."

"Right," Sam said, nodding, though still not looking up from his laptop. "Well, as expected, I'm not finding much on it, so I agree when you say we'll have better luck with Bobby's books. Oh hey, wait. I think I found something."

Dean got up and walked over to Sam.

"This says it's all a myth, but if it's true it says this stryx can change into anything it wants to – human, animal, solid object. Whatever benefits it in capturing its prey. It feeds at night and it's vulnerable to salt like regular spirits. But it is also more fierce and violent than the shtriga, which explains why it killed that woman at the orphanage. You get in its way and it won't hesitate to kill you unless it thinks you can be a better service to it alive. But usually, it just sticks to feeding on people."

"If that's the case, feed on people or kill them, then why did it take Jason?"

Sam shrugged. "You got me. But like I said, this information doesn't look complete or even that plausible. We could be missing something here."

"Does it say anything about how to kill it?" Dean asked as he looked at the laptop over Sam's shoulder.

"No, but it looks like this thing is smarter than the other creatures we've hunted."

"And it's also gonna be dead soon, too, just like the rest of them."

"Well, we need to figure out how to kill it and where it is first, Dean."

"Gee. Thank you, Captain Obvious. So, we should probably head to Bobby's then. See what else we can dig up on this thing."

Sam nodded, closing his laptop as he stood up. "Yeah. I was thinking though, we've been gone almost two weeks now. Sydney might be freaking out or something. We should swing by Missouri's. Pick Sydney up"

"Yeah. That's actually what I was thinking, too. All right, then. Call Missouri. Tell her we're on our way."

--

As soon as Missouri got the call and told Sydney that her cousins were on their way, she immediately saw a change in the child's demeanor. She finally saw a smile on Sydney's face, accompanied by that glow that children get on their faces when they're really excited about something.

Sydney's smile and excitement did diminish a little, however, when Missouri mentioned that Dean and Sam still hadn't found her brother. But it only last a mere few seconds. It was as if Sydney knew without a doubt that her cousins would find her brother. It wasn't an _if _they would find her brother. Actually, it wasn't even a matter of _when _they would find him. Sydney just knew it in her heart that they would find him. It was a fact. And to her, there was nothing to worry about.

Missouri didn't really understand what was it about this child and her attachment to her cousins that could make her demeanor change so suddenly. It actually made her wonder whether she really was that bad of a hostess that Sydney barely talked to or smiled at her, yet at the tiniest mention of her cousins, she couldn't get the kid to stop smiling.

Then again, she had to admit, bad hostess or not, she was just plain happy that the kid was actually doing something besides mope around her house all day. She really had to give the boys some credit. To have that kind of influence on someone so young was a powerful thing and she was glad that the boys had a positive impact on Sydney, despite the short amount of time she had known her.

Before the call, it was like Sydney wasn't even there. Her body was there but Sydney wasn't. She was just like a little robot. But now, all that was gone and here was cute, little girl that she had been waiting for for almost two weeks now to come out of that robot-like body. And she knew that if it weren't for that call – if it weren't for Sam and Dean – Missouri would have never had the pleasure of getting to know this child and see just how full of energy and life Sydney was.

The huge grin on Sydney's face was contagious and Missouri couldn't stop herself from grinning either as the two ladies awaited the arrival of the two brothers.

--

Despite being one state over from where Missouri lived, the boys still managed to arrive at Missouri's house in a good amount of time, though that was probably due to the eagerness both boys had of seeing their little cousin again, not that they would admit it to each other though. It was a bit unexpected for both of them – just how attached they got to Sydney within only a few days of being reunited with her after that first night. But then again, family always was, and would be, of great importance to them. And Sydney and Jason were family, so it shouldn't have been a surprise.

Upon their arrival, they found it rather surprising, and admittedly disappointing, that Sydney wasn't excitedly waiting for them on Missouri's porch, especially considering how sad and depressing the last time they were there was when they were forced to part ways for a little bit. After Missouri had told them how excited Sydney would be once she found out that they'd be returning for her, they figured that'd meant that even before they reached her driveway she'd be running out the house already.

Nevertheless, they were just as happy anyway knowing that they were about to see Sydney in just a few seconds.

Dean parked the car and both boys headed up the stairs onto her porch. Sam knocked on the door and they smiled when Missouri opened it.

"Hey, Missouri," Dean said.

"Hi," Sam greeted as well.

"Boys. You're back. Did Sydney forget something?"

Dean and Sam's smile faded as they looked at each other, slightly confused.

"No…what do you mean?"

"Well, you were just here," Missouri told them, until she took another look at the boys that made her question that. "Weren't you?" she asked them, now just as confused at the situation as the boys were.

There was a pause as each individual considered what in the world was going on. They all just exchanged confused looks.

"Missouri, where's Sydney?" Dean asked with a slight tremble in his voice.

She didn't answer right away, mainly because she didn't have one. Her mind was spinning as she had no idea what was going on. Finally, she spoke up.

"Sam," she said, looking at him, "I thought you…"

Sam looked at her, still confused. Then suddenly, he thought of something.

"Oh, no," he said, his face filled with fear as he looked at Dean.


End file.
